A couple, their two children and two young grandchildren were asleep in their three-story Mountain Road home near Frailey Road at about 11:45 p.m. Thursday when they woke to a fire in their chimney.

"They had a wood stove and the fire shot upward to the upper floors, spread to the exterior wall and then made its way to the interior," Wolcott said. "The family shut the door to the one bedroom as they got out of the house."

Dawn Everett's mother-in-law looked out from her neighboring home, saw the flames and contacted Everett and her husband, himself a retired 25-year firefighter, who then rushed over to check on the family.

Everett said she saw them throwing water from buckets onto the fire.

"They had trained their kids well on what to do in case of fire and everyone knew to meet out front of the house," Everett said. "It must have been awful for them, watching their house burn, but they seemed very calm. They were just thankful they all made it out safely."

With two young children of their own, the Everetts offered to let the family stay at her house.

"We told them we don't have any spare bedrooms, but lots of floor space and some air mattresses," said Dawn Everett, who gave a bag of used clothes she had been meaning to donate after Hurricane Sandy to Red Cross volunteers on scene. "We told them it would be no problem, but they didn't want to impose."

As the unidentified family waited safely outside, Jackson Township firefighters began arriving, followed shortly by Pocono Township, Blue Ridge Hook & Ladder, West End and Stroudsburg fire companies.

"We entered through the front door and made our way to the second floor," Wolcott said. "We opened the door to the bedroom and that's when the ceiling caved in, but no one was hurt and we got the fire knocked down pretty quickly. We really didn't encounter any major challenges."

Anyone wishing to see what help the family needs can contact the American Red Cross of the Poconos in Stroudsburg at 570-476-3800.

Everett's mother-in-law said the family had lived there about 10 years, describing them as "really nice people."

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